Help Olivia Survive During Disability Application

Hi Friends,

By now, most of you are familiar with my ongoing health struggles. Last year, many of you donated to help me after my three hospital admissions from a rare, life-threatening reaction. Well, here I am, one year later, asking for help again. Despite our best efforts, my health continues to decline, and now I am unable to work even my part-time job as I had been. My situation is not what I had hoped it would be; after a year of various treatments, the symptoms caused and exacerbated by that reaction are permanent. I now have to figure out, at 34 years old, how to navigate the rest of my life as a chronically sick and disabled woman with minimal support. I have finally applied for long-term disability through Social Security, something I have postponed for as long as possible because it is a complicated process. The process for disability is a long, arduous road, and I am looking at a minimum of 12-18 months to get approval. Unfortunately, I do not have the savings to sustain myself without an income, even for one month. Between the costs of everyday life and the outrageous medical expenses, I have not been able to save enough funds while working part-time hours since 2015. The savings I had accumulated were used last year and prompted the first fundraising with GoFundMe.

To say I am stressed is an understatement. I have had to scramble to find new specialists as we have hit many roadblocks with my health. Unfortunately, there may not be a treatment available to combat my Lupus successfully and provide some relief from the permanent, debilitating symptoms from the Serum Sickness reaction. Still, I don’t want to give up hope just yet. I want to keep trying to find potential solutions that may help me regain some quality of life I've lost. My opportunities to find answers are now in the hands of doctors, researchers, and facilities that insurance doesn’t cover, and I can’t afford their fees.

The funds raised here will cover:

• $18,000 – Medical Expenses

• $4,000 – Basics for Everyday Life

• $8,000 – Diagnostics & Treatments with New Rheumatologist

Anything raised above this fundraising goal will help me access new treatments and go towards costs not covered by insurance.

When my first Lupus symptoms appeared in 2011, I had no idea what would unfold in the next decade of my life. Even after I developed POTS in 2014 and then MCAS in 2017, my health getting worse with more and more diseases coming into play and new symptoms to manage, I should have realized that my life plans were unattainable. But instead, I truly believed that I would one day get well enough to live an everyday life: work full-time, drive my car, run errands, go to happy hour with friends, travel around the world, visit my family in New York, own a home, get married and have a family. I never anticipated my life would be on this path of being permanently disabled with multiple incurable autoimmune and neurological diseases, where I struggle with the very basics of daily life, being dependent on others for absolutely everything. Where I once dreamed of those *bigger* things in life, I now strive to be able to make my bed, bathe unaided, put my socks and shoes on, prepare a meal for myself, do my laundry, clean my room, pick up my cat; these are my goals in life now, the basics. Many of you are probably wondering why I don't have help from family members and need to do another GoFundMe. My mom helps me as much as she is able to, but as a single woman in her mid-sixties with her own health issues, there is only so much she can do and will be able to in the future for me. The rest of my family lives outside of California, and no one can help in the capacity I need between the daily assistance I require or the financial assistance I need to manage my health/life; I am on my own entirely.

I would be so appreciative of any support during this difficult time. I am still optimistic that my disability claim will get approved. Despite all that I am dealing with, I am still hopeful I will get more effective treatments under the proper care team so I can soon return to a more stable, enjoyable daily life. Thank you for taking the time to read, and I would be grateful if you could also share this with your friends and network.

With love & gratitude,

Olivia xx